1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a system for displaying multimedia data which assists a user's pointing selection of related information on a displayed video image.
2. Description of the Background Art
The multimedia software is evolving from those using static images to the hypertext using video images, and there are some propositions for enabling a user to obtain a related information by making a pointing selection of a part of the video image in the multimedia software using video images.
However, the conventional propositions only allow a user to make a pointing selection of an entire video image, or requires a user to make many attempts for a pointing selection which can only be successful by chance.
In a case of using the authoring tool ASTAUND of the Focal Point Computer, Inc., it is possible to display a frame around an object that can be selected by a pointing selection, but a frame is always going to be displayed, so that a frame can be distracting when the user does not wish to make any pointing selection.
In a case of the multimedia software authoring method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 7-105227 (1995), when start and end positions of a moving object is specified by rectangles in the video image, a motion of the moving object between the start and end positions are obtained by the linear interpolation. However, the user is required to specify a position to make a pointing selection by fully understating this framework of the linear interpolation.
In addition, in the prior art multimedia data display method, the source video image is closed or stopped when a display of a related information is requested, so that it is impossible for a user to enjoy both the source video image and the related information simultaneously.
In summary, the problems associated with the prior art multimedia data display method are as follows.
It is difficult to make a pointing selection of a desired position in a displayed source video image. More specifically, the following two problems are encountered.
(A1) It is difficult to see whether there is any position which can be selected by a pointing selection for the purpose of obtaining the related information. Moreover, even when such a position is known to be provided, it is difficult to recognize where this position is located in a displayed source video image.
(A2) It requires a considerable amount of efforts to a user to capture a moving target object of the pointing selection by means of the input device such as mouse.
(B) It is sometimes difficult for a user to understand a form of display of the source video image or the related information.
It is difficult to produce display data. More specifically, the following problem is encountered.
(C) It requires a considerable amount of works to specify a position that can be selected by a pointing selection in the video image portion.